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Discussion » Questions » Human Behavior » Have you ever looked at a domesticated animal and identified with it?
kjames

Have you ever looked at a domesticated animal and identified with it?

Are we in the same prison that we created for domesticated animals? Our fences may appear less obvious, but is that because the fences exist in our psychology? We labour most of our lives to pay for gas, electric, water, mortgage, children, babies nappies, car insurance, road tax, speeding fines, parking fines, we are watched by CCTV 24/7, and then we die, never questioning the system, whilst the elite inherit land, go on expensive holidays, own expensive cars, take part in expensive sports, and live the life of luxury off us.  What makes them entitled to ownership over us?

Posted - July 13, 2017
Tag : Have you ever looked at a domesticated animal and identified with it?

Responses


  • 7919
    Not in the way you suggest. I envy my pets. They have all their needs seen to and they seem generally happy. 

    I disagree with your general theory as well, but that comes down to a person's lifestyle choices. If buying things is a person's goal- that life of consumerism will nail them. Things don't make people happy. Moreover, you choose your mortgage. You could have a tiny house and no mortgage, but most people want something big and don't even use half of their space. You choose to have children and to raise them. You choose whether to own a car, ride the bus, or walk. You choose the expenses that come with each decision. If you want to live a life keeping up with the Jones', you will never be satisfied. There will always be someone with more money, a better car, a bigger house, etc., and if you're trying to fill yourself up with these physical things, you will always remain empty. It sounds philosophical, but it's not really. Read about the science of happiness. A lot of it has to do with appreciating the things that don't cost money or spending money on activities, rather than things. 

    If a person feels owned by the wealthy, I suspect they've really sold themselves to consumerism- a silent transaction that happens each day when the person makes decisions to buy things.
      July 13, 2017 1:09 PM MDT
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  • 1305
    You don't have to sell yourself to consumerism, I do not even own my home because I couldn't afford to, all land is owned by the elite and we but own it on deeds.  You still have to work a large majority of your life to live in this world, while the rich live off the labour of others and do not work.  This is where I identify with the domesticated animal,  we are the sheep.  In stating that we should be happy with our lot, is like saying to a cow they should be happy with their lot, but don't wish to be on the other side of the fence and free because it's futile.
      July 13, 2017 2:03 PM MDT
    1

  • 7919
    A few years ago when I was going through my divorce, I looked into a plethora of housing options. I could stay where I was, in a nice suburban neighborhood with minimal crime. I'd keep my big house and yard, but of course, at a cost. I could also move to a nearby townhouse. I'd lose the yard and a few hundred square feet, but I'd save about $250 per month. I could move about an hour away and buy a similar-sized home with a yard. The area was still developing and there wasn't much there, but I would have cut my mortgage nearly in half. Lastly, I looked at largely self-sustainable homes, roughly two hours from my home. I'd have well water, solar energy, a massive amount of property, and a home big enough for myself and kids, but I would have had to have been willing to live in the middle of nowhere- even getting the kids to school would have been a headache, and the nearest hospital was a good hour away. Oh, I would have saved money though. I could have had my home paid off in about 10 years, and with all the sustainability features built-in, and plenty of space for a garden to provide food, my need to work would have been next to nothing. 

    These are choices. Each choice has benefits and drawbacks. I had to do some serious soul-searching to decide what was most important to me. Did I need the nice suburban life, which would require lots of work? Could I have been happy and content with almost no bills in the middle of nowhere? Was the right answer for me somewhere in between? Barring extenuating circumstances, such as disability or the inability to work, these are the choices we all make. I stand by my initial answer. 
      July 13, 2017 3:04 PM MDT
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  • 22891
    not yet
      July 13, 2017 1:34 PM MDT
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  • 6477
    You make a good point but I do think that we have an enormous amount of freedom in our cage.. the bars, are mostly invisible to most people.. those exotic holidays and that we can change our surroundings, our lives, our jobs, our hobbies, we can reinvent ourselves and evolve...  Domestic animals can't... they are pretty much at our mercy... 

    Yes, some might say that we are at the mercy of the system.. but honestly, if I don't bother it - it doesn't bother me... I've done many things and as long as they are legal, regardless of whether society might not approve.. I do have that freedom... I honestly don't find that cctv or any of the other things impinge on me at all :)
      July 13, 2017 2:18 PM MDT
    1

  • 10049
    I think that I may have as a child. 

    I have to agree with JA about there being a difference between us and animals who are physically caged or fenced. In most cases, we have at least something to do with the cages/fences/cells we create for ourselves, whereas these animals do not. There are circumstances beyond our control that contribute to them, but most of us have consciously made choices that dictate how we live our lives. That's not to say that everyone is given the same chances and choices, obviously we aren't. It's not fair, but it is the way that it is. 

    I know it sounds cliche, but it helps me to remind myself that I'm much more fortunate than countless others. And I know from experience that money does not buy happiness. Actually, the idea that it does kept me imprisoned in a cell of my own creation for years. 


      July 13, 2017 8:58 PM MDT
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